A Million Stripes Loop
December 7th, 2011 § 16 Comments
If you like the retailer Anthropologie and their rare but lovely handmade knitwear, you may have seen this looped scarf on the US website. If you’re a member of the Anthropologie Knits Group on Ravelry, you’ll know that some of us have been talking about it. It’s not available in the UK and Europe, so I thought it would be worth writing a set of instructions for a double-thick version which uses left over skeins of ColourMart cashmere yarns. It is so soft, it’s unbelievably nice.
The Loop is begun with a provisional cast-on and is worked in the round, to the length you desire, and closed by joining the ends using a Kitchener graft.
You will need:
• A small pile of little balls or lengths of yarn and two left-over full balls of some very soft non-itchy DK yarn.
Quantities? The orange in this one is approx 50g of ColourMart DK cashmere merino from what they call a scrap set. The tweedy grey is approximately the same amount. I suggest you get two different but toning colours like these to make the backbone of the pattern, so approx 50g of each will be enough. For the contrasting stripes, 20-30g will be enough for each colour. This Loop uses six colours, two main colours (MC) another four contrast colours (CC).
• a good length of scrap yarn, any smooth cotton or bamboo, in a completely different colour.
• one 3.5mm circular needle (min 60cm long) or 5 double point needles (dpns), whichever you prefer.
• a 4mm crochet hook. You can manage with a bigger one if you haven’t got that exact size.
• a large eyed blunt needle for the grafting.
[It does go without saying, but more stitches will make a deeper loop, and knitting fewer stripes will make it more cowly. You could knit more stripes and make a warm double-Loop. Chunkier yarn will give a different effect and you’d need fewer stitches. Mega-chunky yarn and you might want to do only 2 or 1 rounds per stripe. Sock yarn, if you want a drapier one, will work, but cast on more stitches and try 8 rounds per stripe.]
Casting On:
With your crochet chain and the smooth scrap yarn, tie a slip knot to begin and then make a simple crochet chain long enough to make at least the same number of stitches you want to cast on, plus a little bit more. Tie the end off by pulling through the last loop.
In the size I made, you will need a crochet chain of at least 112 stitches. This will be enough to cast on 55 stitches for each side plus 1 for each edge ‘seam’.
If you’ve never crocheted before, here are some instructions for making a chain. She leaves a longer tail than I would, but her hint to make the chains loose is spot on, and it’s very clear.
Make a chain of 114 or more crochet loops and tie off.
Then, gather up your circular or DPNs and pick up and cast on one stitch in each of the crochet loops by knitting into the little bumps in the back of the chain. Here are some instructions for a crochet chain provisional cast on. She shows exactly which bumps to knit into.
Here is another slightly different method. Stitch Diva is a genius.
If you really, really don’t crochet, can’t find your crochet hook or are nervous about trying it, just knit the first two rows in your smooth contrasting yarn using your normal cast-on. The stitches will be pulled out later when you’re ready to graft your Loop.
However you do it, knit through the loops to make a total of 112 stitches on your needle.
Start Knitting:
Set up Round – Knit 55, Purl 1, Knit 55, Purl 1.
Join to start working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Continue as set.
The Stripes
Each stripe is FOUR rounds of stocking stitch.
There are FOUR blocks of stripes, with TWO colours in each block. You can make SIX or EIGHT blocks of stripes if you want to make your Loop long enough to go around your neck twice.
Be creative. Use your inner stylistic genius to create stripes that will tone beautifully with your wardrobe, or use bring zingy colours that will brighten the dullest more drear winter commute.
Don’t copy this one exactly. Use up your own yarn, and your own quantities and inner resources. But for guidance, this Loop has 4 Sections:
- 12 stripes orange, 11 russet (cashmere/merino)
- 7 stripes grey, 6 cream (vision tweed cashmere silk merino)
- 8 stripes orange (cashmere/merino), 7 ivory (100% cashmere)
- 7 stripes grey, 6 nutmeg tweed (cashmere merino)
Total = 64 stripes
If you are very observant you might notice that one of my russet stripes is a couple of shades darker than all the rest. It’s a lucky find in my stash of just enough burgundy toned tweedy cashmere, and it hasn’t gone to waste.
Keep going in pattern, with purls in between the 55 knit stitches. The purls offer up a simple and elegant side seam, helping the Loop to sit flat, and hiding the ‘jog’ where one round ends and another begins, rather nicely.
Keep going. Try it around your neck from time to time to see when it’s long enough. This one is approx 30″ or 76cm around, which is long enough to stand off my neck, but also to be snuggly enough not to need folding. You might need more or fewer stripes to make it shorter or longer.
Joining The Ends
When you’re ready, when the Loop is long enough, carefully unpick your provisional cast-on and put the stitches back on a circular needle (or your spare set of dpns). It doesn’t matter what size this needle is, it’s just to hold the stitches, not to work them.
Now, think carefully about which part needs joining to which. Hold the loop at arms length with the two ends together and look carefully around to see that it’s not twisted in any way.
You will be joining using the yarn from your last stripe, so your very last stripe needs to be only THREE rounds. The fourth round will be the sewn kitchener graft.
Line up the purl stitches, and hold your Loop with the wrong sides together, and with the Loop on your lap with the right side facing you, as in the picture. Turn off the TV, chase the distractions out of the room, put on some very gentle, relaxing music and read these instructions from lovely Knitty.
Thread your needle, and work slowly and carefully round, not too tight, not too loose. Knit, purl, purl, knit.
When you get to the purls in the first side seam of your Loop, stop and think. On the exact purl stitch on both sides, reverse the instructions for just that stitch. Where the graft wants you to knit, you purl. Where the graft wants you to purl, you knit. Just that one stitch, on both sides.
Stop, check your work and be proud.
Go around the other side exactly as you did the first side, gently shuffling the Loop around on your lap as you go.
Ta-Da!!
Does it look great?
I swear to you, NOBODY can see my join. Nobody.
Blocking
Don’t skip this step!!
If you’re a regular ColourMart user, you will know all about blocking. Their yarns all need soaking in very hot water to remove the machine oils and allow them to bloom. Don’t rub, just swish gently in the water. For any other yarn, soak in some lukewarm water with a dash of added Eucalan or any leave-in hair conditioner.
Press out the excess water, and spin in your machine or press between two towels. Lay flat and smooth out any wrinkles, adjusting the sides where your purl stitches will have vanished magically, leaving you with two lovely edges and a smooth transition between your stripes.
Ask your Grandma if she can see where you did your graft. Laugh, lightly and secretly to yourself when she coos and flatters and then offer to make her a Loop of her own.
Apologies for my casual nightshirt photo – I was keen to get this pattern onto the internet. Trendy photos where I’m fully clothed will be added soon, I promise.
If you like this pattern, feel free to use it to make as many Loops as you like, but please don’t use it to make money from teaching or by selling them, without contacting me first. Any charity uses are absolutely fine, though.
Enjoy!
A short note about the Yarn. ColourMart is a UK company that retails mill ends of high end luxury yarns that are spun and dyed for the top Italian fashion houses and couture knitwear designers. They are incredible. Their customer service is second to none and their range is vast and glorious. It takes time and patience to get to know how to work with them, but do give them a try.
loving this fun and easy knit. It’s a perfect stash buster and great for watching movies with… just not scary ones… my gauge gets way too tight…
thanks so much for the inspiration, i found you through ravelry
I think this is beautiful and can’t wait to make it in January. Thank you for the pattern. Can I ask you how you finish the ends on the inside please? I’m a new-ish knitter and haven’t made anything striped yet. Thank you.
Hi Babygreens – thank you! I love mine, I’m sure you’ll love yours too. :)
It’s a really good question & you’re not the first to ask. There really are very few ends if you follow the colour sequence. Don’t cut the yarn between each set of four rows – just carry the second colour up the inside ready to use it in your next stripe. Don’t pull it tight, leave just enough to run it up the back of the purl stitch on the inside.
So in one block of two colours, there will only be a maximum of 4 ends – one at the beginning of the first stripe, one at the beginning of the second, and the same at the end of that block.
When you start a new colour block of two different colours, wind the yarn from the previous stripe in at the back of your work so that it doesn’t show. Just hold it between the active yarn and your knitting for a few stitches, say about an inch or two, then snip off. Do the same with the new yarn you join in for the second stripe in the second set.
Weave in the ends as you go and you won’t have to sew them in after. But there will only be 4 ends for each set of stripes to weave in, and if you do that as you go, there’ll only be one when you’ve finished.
I hope that makes sense. :)
If you use a different pattern of stripes to this, you might want to cut your yarn if you find yourself having to carry it a long way up the back. But if you have plenty of yarn, I wouldn’t worry, just carry it loosely anyway. If you make it loose enough, it’ll be fine, and will add to the warmth.
Please feel free to ask more questions at any time. Sometimes the simplest looking patterns can be a bit of a puzzle, especially if you’re new to it all.
Thank you so much for such a detailed and helpful reply that makes perfect sense. I’m going to buy yarn this week and start after Christmas :excited:
[...] definitely for me, however, will be this beautiful Million Stripes cowl, which I found on ProjectStashEL’s Likes page when stalking reviewing my Rav friends’ [...]
[...] in real life. Now I can take my time working out the exactly perfect colour sequence for the million stripes wrap, and the best place for that tricky orange. In the meantime, there are some ends to sew in on [...]
Hello, sorry for another newbie question. For the very beginning, do I do a round of all knit stitches once the crochet bumps are on the needle, and then the first 4 round stripe in the k55/p1/k55/p1 pattern? So 5 rounds in total for the first stripe?
Thank you, and a very happy New Year!
Hiya! You need 4 rounds for each stripe, so your pick-up-and-knit from the crochet bumps is round 1, then do 3 more so you have 4 altogether . Then change colour. Keep the purls going from the beginning and throughout.
Happiness of the season to you too!
Got it! Thank you :)
[...] now have all the yarn I need for the Million Stripes wrap, but this has been temporarily put on hold whilst I make a Felicity hat for one of my sisters. [...]
[...] Million Stripes Loop (I will get the name right!) is underway now. I have to admit to cursing the provisional [...]
[...] Million Stripes Loop is keeping its green stripes. It does make me feel a bit like a character in a Quentin Blake [...]
[...] project – I have tried lots of new techniques, most were successful, and I have a beautiful warm Million stripes loop when there is still snow on the ground. [...]
Hi, the Million Stripes Loop is made in Scotland by Eribe Knitwear Design and is available to purchase in the UK:
http://eribe.co.uk/product/Loop-Scarf
I’m not affiliated with them, just have one from Anthropologie and found your site through Google.
Here’s a retailer in the UK:
http://www.inisonline.com/product/eribe-knitwear-scotland/5390-strontian-stripe-loop-scarf/
Hey LJ – how helpful of you – thanks very much for commenting and letting us know! There is an Anthro knock-off pattern called Rayures available from Quince & Co yarns, and by the look of that it’s exactly the same.
I made sure this pattern is different in several respects to the original, because although I’m more than happy to acknowledge the influence, I’m not comfortable with copies.
At £54 it’s definitely worth buying one from Eribe!